1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a container having a sensor adapter for receiving a sensor arrangement for measuring at least one parameter of media contained in a container interior, wherein the sensor adapter is arranged on the wall to the container interior and has an externally accessible receiving opening in a receiving channel, which is bounded toward the container interior, for adapting the sensor arrangement.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 10 2006 001 610 B4 discloses a bioreactor or container which is formed in particular as a disposable mixing bag and has a sensor adapter for receiving a sensor arrangement in the form of an optical sensor, which is formed by one end of a light conductor and is fitted in a reversible manner. The sensor adapter, which is arranged in the wall to the reactor interior, has an externally accessible receiving opening in a receiving channel, which is bounded toward the reactor interior by a transparent material.
The disadvantage of the known sensor adapter is that it is suitable only for optical measuring operations. The sensor adapter is not suitable for the installation of conventional reversible electrodes or sensor arrangements for measuring the pH, the carbon dioxide or oxygen content or for measuring the conductivity. The known adapters are also not suitable for the use of gas sensors, as are known for dissolved oxygen or dissolved carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, sensor adapters are known from DE 10 2006 022 307 A1 and from WO 2006/017951 A1, said sensor adapters likewise having the abovementioned disadvantages.
If in particular gas sensors are intended to be used, the known adapters either have to use permanently installed sensors, which are not reversible and are also susceptible to a need for sterilization, or the adapters have to be open toward the reactor interior. If the adapters are open toward the reactor interior, it is possible to use exchangeable gas sensors, but these likewise have to be sterilized, which is associated with problems.
Containers in the context of the present invention are understood to mean in particular containers for mixing, storing and transporting, and also bioreactors and fermenters. The containers can be made in particular of plastics material.
In the context of the present invention, media are considered to be in particular liquids, gases, suspensions, dispersions, buffers and cell culture broths.
Parameters are understood in the following text to mean in particular concentrations of substances, pressure or partial pressure of gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide), moisture, the number of particles, turbidity, temperature, pH, electromagnetic rays, fluorescence, electrical conductivity, and also capacitive and electrical resistances.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop the known containers having a sensor adapter in such a way that it is possible to use sensor arrangements which require contact with the media to be measured, for example gas sensors.